Savior
by NephilimEQ
Summary: *Takes place after meeting with Akito in the last episode* Tohru and Hatori have a moment together...and something interesting happens. Will they take it further, or will they ignore it entirely? Please READ & REVIEW! I love reviews, they're like candy!
1. Chapter 1

**Savior**

**Chapter 1**

He couldn't move.

Hatori could do nothing but relive the moment when Akito had attacked him and nearly attacked Kana…and he wanted to protect her, but couldn't. Tohru was being held by the most vicious and vindictive person that he'd ever known and he was frozen.

How had he not leapt forward when Shigure and Yuki had? How had he not tried to help them? Help_ her_?

One of his legs was ready to spring his body forward should the need arise, but the rest of his body was still.

Tohru…

He couldn't see her face, but he could hear her heartbeat…and it was steady.

She was not panicking, she was not frightened; she was as steady as a mountain in a storm. Unmovable. Unshakeable. Solid. How was that possible? He knew that Akito's grip was harsh and unforgiving, and that he would have hurt her if the other two had not lunged forward when they did.

After everything had died down, Hatori found that he still hadn't moved. He was still in the same place as before…still watching her.

The other two left the room and for a brief moment, he and Tohru were alone.

She walked over to him and knelt down next to him, leveling her eyes with his, her blue eyes more serious than he'd ever seen them before.

"Thank you," she whispered. The words were so quiet he could barely hear them, even though she was right next to him, her body mere centimeters from touching his own, her stocking-covered knees bent and sticking out from under the hem of her skirt.

Hatori looked at her in confusion, turning his head slightly so he could see her properly as she was on his left side.

"What for?" he asked, honestly confused.

A faint smile touched the corner of her mouth and she reached up a hand and placed it on his face so that it was gently holding his jaw and he was so surprised that he didn't move, and instead only stared straight back at her, waiting for her to say something more.

"You didn't try to help. Thank you for that, Hatori…"

He noticed she left off the formal address and he looked at her again, trying to figure out what she meant, but then she explained.

"I mean, it's nice that Yuki and Shigure wanted to help me and keep me safe from Akito, but he never would have hurt me any more than you could heal me…" Hatori blinked, shocked by what he was hearing. "…I was never afraid _of_ him; only afraid _for_ him because no one had ever tried to understand what he was going through and that he was suffering all alone…"

She paused for a moment, gently rubbing her thumb on his cheek and he subtly leaned into it.

"It…It's nice to know that someone knows that I can stand on my own. Thank you, Hatori, for not trying to protect me."

With those words, she stood up and walked out of the room.

He couldn't move.

Instead, he stared after her for a long moment, and then in one fluid movement of his body, much like a dragon rising from a crouch, he sprung forward and in two long, elegant strides was out the door, and in two more strides had caught up to her and his hand reached out and grasped her wrist, pulling her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, not caring if he should transform, so long as he could show her for a brief second how much her words had meant to him.

Hatori heard Tohru's gasp of surprise as she was pulled against him, and he felt her tense up, as did he, waiting for the inevitable moment…

…but it didn't come.

They stood outside, his arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders, holding her tightly, and slowly both of them relaxed into the other, and a soft sigh escaped their lips at nearly the same moment as they relished in the feeling of being secure.

Finally, Tohru whispered… "How…?"

He shook his head and gently tightened his hold for a brief second.

"I…I don't know."

They stood there for several seconds, savoring the moment. And then, ever so slowly, they pulled away. Tohru turned around as she did and caught Hatori's gaze, searching for an answer in his steady, unwavering look.

The doctor held her look and, still holding the wrist that he'd never let go of, he slowly pulled her towards him, his head lowering…

..but the moment was broken as Shigure appeared around the corner, and they snapped away from each other as though they'd been stung, Hatori's fingers quickly letting go of her wrist, leaving Tohru feeling slightly colder than before, missing the warmth of the older man's firm, yet gentle grip.

"Tohru! Hatori! Are you coming or not?"

Tohru flashed Shigure a bright smile, though forced, and nodded, faking carelessness.

"Oh, yes! We're coming Shigure-san!"

She did not look back as she ran to catch up to Shigure, but her eyes betrayed her as she started to turn the corner around the edge of the house and caught a glimpse of Hatori as he followed in his usual stoic way behind the rest of them.

His eyes were cast down towards his feet and his hands were clasped behind his back and she felt a brief pang of sadness, but then her head snapped back in front of her as she heard a small, enthusiastic voice yelling to her.

"Toh-ru! Toh-ru! How did everything go?"

She smiled as Momijii ran to her, his arms outstretched, and Tohru let him jump in them, even as she heard Hatori say the young zodiac's name in a scolding manner at his disregard for the rules. What could it hurt? She couldn't affect them anymore, as she had just seen with Hatori.

However, the moment her arms wrapped around him, she suddenly, though it should have been expectedly, found a rabbit in her arms.

"Hiii, Toh-ru!" said the yellow rabbit in her arms. "How did everything go?"

She gave Momijii an affectionate and loving stroke of her hand over his head and ears and gave him a slightly forced smile.

"Well, it could have gone better, but I still think it was a good idea."

"Yes, it was," said Hatori's voice just over her right shoulder and she looked up in surprise to see him standing right next her, the corner of his mouth faintly turned upward in approval and she felt herself flush at his close proximity.

Hatori then looked seriously down at Momijii.

"You know better. You need to stop doing that, understood?"

Momijii whined and Tohru couldn't hold in the giggle at how his zodiac form looked when he did so. His ears flopped to either side of his head and his little rabbit eyes gave an absolute pathetic expression of disappointment, and she had to lift one hand to cover her mouth as she giggled, trying not to incur any of Hatori's agitation.

"Awwwww….Ha'ri is no fun! I just wanted to hug Tohru, _and_ I'm not even out in front of a lot of people! I'm even on the Sohma property! Everyone already knows _here_, so what does it matter if I do?"

Hatori looked as though he was about to say something, but Shigure butted in.

"He _has_ a valid point, Tori! Besides, who _wouldn't_ want to hug my little flower after seeing such a fearless display as she showed earlier?"

Momijii's little ears twitched up and forward, turning into a rabbit's expression of interest.

"What do you mean, Shigure-san? What did Tohru do?"

Tohru gaped for a moment, slightly upset at the fact that Shigure had put her on the spot, but Hatori was the one to come to her rescue this time, not Shigure or Yuki, and he quickly covered for her, knowing that she would most likely not want the younger zodiac member to know what had happened.

"That is best left between the people who were in the room," he said, giving a pointed look at Shigure, who abashedly ran a hand through his hair.

"But," he continued, "If Tohru wishes to tell you, than she may, but only if she feels like it, alright?"

He glanced at Tohru to make sure that what he had said was okay with her and she gave him a relieved smile of thanks and nodded. She looked back down to find Momijii pouting and gently rubbed her hand over the back of the little rabbit, smoothing down his fur.

"Don't worry, Momijii…everything's okay. Maybe I'll tell you a bit later, okay?"

At that, the rabbit's ears perked up.

"Okay!" He then hopped out of her arms and raced in circles around her feet, and then just as he took off across the Sohma compound he said, "Catch me, Tohru!" and laughed, and she let out a small laugh of her own, and ran enthusiastically after him, leaving Yuki, Shigure and Hatori standing alone.

Shigure laughed at their antics, while Hatori merely seemed passive and Yuki simply stared at the place where Tohru had just been.

Tohru and Momijii suddenly reappeared from around the corner of a building and the little one raced on, while Tohru stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

Shigure grinned and said, "You'll never catch him on your own, you know, my little flower…come give me a hug and I'll catch him for you!"

Bent over at the waist with her hands still on her knees, she looked up at him, tilting her head slightly, seemingly confused for a moment, and then a broad smile crossed her lips as she realized what he friend was saying.

She quickly stood up all the way and said, "Okay!" and then ran to him and wrapped her arms around him and laughed when she suddenly had a wet tongue bathing her face and a paw on each of her shoulders.

"Go, Shigure-san! Catch Momijii for me!"

He woofed and dropped to all fours, his tail wagging furiously, and said, "Your wish is my command, my little flower!"

He then took off after Momijii and they then heard a voice say, "Hey! No fair, Tohru!" There was a scuffle, and they then heard, "Shigure-san, that's not _fair!_" There was then the sound of another scuffle and then a giggle escaped Tohru as they heard, "Hey, Momijii…! You're cheating!"

"You cheated _first!_"

"Yes, but _I_ was _helping_ Tohru!"

"Well, _I_ was _playing_ with Tohru _first!_"

The sounds diminished as they scampered further away from them over the large expanse of the property, and Tohru turned to Yuki and Hatori, and then saw the slightly strained look on Yuki's face. She then became worried and Hatori watched as a faint line appeared between her eyes as she focused on her close friend and housemate.

"Um…Yuki? Are, are you okay?"

He made an absentminded humming sound and then nodded.

"Yeah. I…I guess I'm just tired. I think I'll head on home," he finished, turning to head to the front gate, and Tohru put out a hand in protest.

"Wait! Don't go…I mean, it's not even…wait a second, what time is it anyway?"

Hatori looked up at the sun and said, "About six o'clock, I would say," and at his words Tohru looked surprised.

"Oh! Is it already that late? I should go home and make dinner for everyone," she said, heading to follow Yuki, but Yuki stopped her with his left hand on her shoulder and gave her a faint smile, different from his expression a moment before.

"No, Tohru, it's alright…we still have the miso soup left over from last night. Kyo and I will be fine for the evening; you just enjoy yourself, alright?"

And with that, he turned and walked out of the compound, leaving her and Hatori all alone.

* * *

**Part 1/?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tohru gave him a shy look, unsure of what to say to him, and her fingers began to play with the hem of her skirt, twitching nervously. She didn't know what to do with herself now that she was alone with him again in such short a time and it showed in the way she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

They studiously avoided eye contact, and then were both startled out of the moment when Shigure came bounding in with a yellow rabbit dangling from his mouth, looking quite proud of himself.

"'Ot 'im!" he said, and Tohru laughed.

"Why, thank you Shigure-san!"

She then reached down and gently lifted Momijii from the zodiac's mouth into her arms and patted him on the head until he said, "That wasn't fair, Tohru! Sending 'Gure after me…"

She smiled and said, "Well, I just wanted to let Shigure-san have some fun as well, that's all, Momijii…is that alright?"

Two tiny dark eyes looked up at her, his laid back ears still giving him a look of disappointment, and then his nose twitched slightly. She waited for a response, and smiled when she saw the ears slowly rise back up and a twinkle returned to the young zodiac's eyes.

"Well…okay. I mean, it _was_ kind of fun playing with 'Gure!"

She gave him a broad smile and put him back down on the ground and then picked up the clothes that he'd left behind.

"Well, how about I follow you back to your house and make sure you have a private place to change?" The little rabbit nodded his head and hopped off at a relatively slow pace, allowing her to follow behind him, while Hatori looked on, as well as a black dog.

Just as they disappeared behind one of the buildings, there was a puff of smoke and a naked Shigure stood in front of Hatori.

Not in the least bit uncomfortable, the author first stretched his arms upwards and then reached down and picked up his clothes from the ground and took his time putting them back on.

Hatori glared at him, but said nothing, instead turning his eyes away and waiting for the man to finish dressing.

"So," said Shigure, turning towards the doctor as he finished buttoning his shirt. "What were you and Tohru doing when I found you two earlier? You were awfully close," he finished saying with a slight leer on his face, obviously insinuating all sorts of inappropriate meanings.

Hatori said nothing, knowing that to say anything more would only encourage him…but at the same time, he needed to know what had happened, and he valued Shigure's opinion.

"Shigure…"

The man's eyes lit up. "Yes, Tori?"

He bit his tongue, figuring out how he should approach it and how he should say it. Finally, he decided honesty was the only way to play it.

"Earlier, just before you came back to get the two of us, I hugged Tohru…and nothing happened."

At hearing this, Shigure's expression went from one of glib amusement to one of shock, his eyebrows reaching up towards his hairline in an almost comical manner, his eyes wide, his mouth forming an oh of surprise.

"You…you mean you didn't…?"

Hatori nodded.

"Yes. I mean I _didn't_."

There was a long moment of silence, during which Shigure's gaze turned to the ground, his eyes serious, his brow slightly furrowed as he tried to figure out exactly what it meant. Why was Hatori unaffected by her? What had happened that made it so?

They stood there; neither of them saying a word…and then Shigure lifted his head and gave Hatori a secretive smile.

"Well, then…it sounds to me like you are no longer cursed, Ha'ri. Isn't that a good thing?"

He said nothing, staring off in the direction that Tohru and Momijii had disappeared, and then said, "Why her? Why me? Why now?"

Shigure shrugged.

"Does it matter? What's the phrase that I've used before…oh, yes: 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'" He then nodded his head at Hatori and flashed him another smile, this one reassuring. "Besides, I think she's good for you, even though she'll always be my little flower."

With that, he swept a hand through his hair and his lips twisted his reassuring smile into a devious one, and he winked at his lifelong friend.

"Besides…what do you have to complain about? She _is_ a cute one, after all…"

And with that, he swept out of the compound and threw one last comment over his shoulder.

"Oh, and tell Tohru that I'm going home and eating with Kyo and Yuki to make sure that the house stays in one piece. If I were you, I wouldd help her to keep her mind off of things by taking her out for dinner, Hatori…"

And he was gone.

The doctor looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing at the dog's words, and then turned back around when he heard Momijii and Tohru coming around the corner.

"Ha'ri!" yelled Momijii, running to him and making several laps around him. "Tohru says she'll come over for dinner some time, and I thought we could invite her over this Friday! Can we, can we?"

He gave a surprised look in Tohru's direction, which she met and then shyly ducked her head, averting her gaze. He looked down at the boy's expectant and pleading gaze and felt himself give into his enthusiasm and he nodded.

"Sure. Friday is fine."

"Yaaay!" Momijii squealed and a soft smile appeared on Tohru's lips.

"Great! Then I'll see you on Friday after I get off work, okay, Momijii?"

He nodded and then looked at her and asked, "You work on Friday?" She nodded. "Well, then how are you going to get here?"

Tohru shrugged. "I'll walk, I guess…no one was ever hurt by a bit of extra walking!" She gave the both of them a broad smile, amazingly not bothered by the fact that she would have to walk more than a scant few miles to get to their residence for dinner.

Momijii looked up at Hatori and he immediately understood what he was silently asking him.

Quickly, before he could think about what he was saying, he said, "I'll pick you up and drive you on Friday, Miss Honda."

She started to protest, but he cut her off.

"It's not a problem, and you shouldn't be overtiring yourself anyway. Please, let me."

She looked at him, wide eyed, and then gave a small nod, a hint of a smile on the corner of her lips. They stared at each other for a moment longer than was strictly necessary, and then she pulled her eyes away from his and looked towards the front gate of the compound.

"Well, I should be going home, then…" She paused, blinked, and then said, "Where's Shigure-san?"

Hatori quickly explained.

"He went on home and told me to tell you…"

Hatori suddenly cut himself off, remembering what Shigure had said to him… _'If I were you, I would help her to keep her mind off of things by taking her out for a dinner, Hatori.'_

She looked at him expectantly and said, "Told you to tell me what?"

For the second time that day, he found himself at a loss for words, and he scrambled around in his brain trying to find the right thing to say. He was no longer affected by his curse, so he could make it more special than he'd hoped. He could go somewhere…public.

Finally, he said, "To tell you goodbye. Miss Honda, I was hoping I could take you out for something to eat? I find that I am quite hungry and I thought you might be, too. Would it be alright if I were to ask you to accompany me?"

There. That was simple enough, and didn't sound as if he were asking her on a date.

She looked at Momijii, obviously about to ask him if he wanted to join the two of them, but the young zodiac cut her off before she could even ask.

"Sorry! I'm eating with Haru and Kagura tonight. See you on Friday, Toh-ru!"

And with that, he took off with his usual amount of exuberance and disappeared around the corner of a cluster of buildings, the sound of his feet on the ground fading as he ran over the large expanse of the compound.

Tohru shyly looked up at Hatori and gave him a faint smile.

"Uh, where are we going?"

He just gave her a secretive smile and said, "You'll see."

Being the gentleman that he was, he held out his left arm to her and she carefully took it and let him escort her to his car, where he then opened her door for her and then slid into the driver's side, a favorite restaurant of his on his mind.

As they started to drive out of the compound, he heard her whisper from her seat…

"Thank you, Hatori-san."

He glanced at her and then said, "Please. Call me Hatori, Miss Honda."

She smiled and replied, "Only if you call me Tohru, Hatori-san."

He couldn't stop a faint grin from crossing his lips at her quick and witty response.

"Of course…Tohru."

"Thank you…Hatori."

And they drove in silence.

* * *

**Part 2/?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He was taking her to a place that he hadn't been since he had been with Kana. It was a small, out of the way place, but it had delicious food that was almost as good as Tohru's cooking, and he was hoping that she would enjoy it as much as he did.

He pulled up to the restaurant and slid into one of the preferred parking places, specially reserved for people such as himself; those with high rank in both name and wealth.

Tohru looked on in shock at the nice place that they had arrived at and suddenly felt woefully underdressed.

Hatori saw her discomfort as she stepped out of the car and he quickly reassured her.

"You look just fine, Miss Hon-Tohru. Do not worry. They will serve us regardless of what we are wearing. They know the Sohma family well, and they will let you dine with me as they know that you are my guest and they would not wish to upset such a modest contributor to their private industry."

She looked at him in surprise. No one was ever able to read her moods so quickly. How had he known that she was nervous about that?

She walked up the walkway in silence, but then had to ask, "H-Hatori…how did you know…"

He finished her question for her.

"That you were uncomfortable with your appearance?" She nodded. "Simple. The way you looked at the building and then glanced down at your shoes. It's a habit born of being self-conscious about one's appearance." He saw she was uncomfortable again, so he reassured her. "There is nothing wrong with it…on the contrary, Tohru, you look quite nice."

And she did.

Even though she wore stockings, they went high enough up her leg to disappear under the hem of her simple, cream colored skirt, which was complemented by a nicely fitted white blouse. Her hair was pulled back by a clip, showing off the lovely curve of her neck as disappeared beneath the western styled collar.

Though her clothes were simple, they were modest and flattering…and they looked nice on her.

On anyone else it might have seemed too simple, but they suited her just fine.

Hatori quickly pulled his mind from his wanderings and stopped in front of the large, mahogany desk and politely asked for a table for two.

The woman discreetly glanced at Tohru and a faint pink tinge appeared on Tohru's cheeks. To dispel any misgivings, Hatori gently placed his hand on her lower back and ushered her ahead of him, showing the woman that Tohru was to be treated with as much respect as one of the Sohmas might.

The server turned her eyes away and led them to a private table that was always kept on reserve.

After they were seated, Hatori watched intently with his one good eye as Tohru picked up the menu in front of her and began to look at the food.

A few seconds later she said, "H-Hatori? Uhm, I don't see any prices…did they type the menu wrong?"

And that was when he realized that she'd never been to a place such as this before, and he quickly amended his way of thinking and acting. Shigure had forgotten one thing when he'd suggested to Hatori to take Tohru out to dinner. To remember that she was more than just a friend to the Sohmas; she was family. And he needed to treat her as such.

He reached for her menu and pointed at a dish that he knew to be exceptionally good.

"It's not a misprint, Tohru. It is simply a restaurant where you don't have to worry about price." He tapped his finger against the name one more time. "You should try this. It is exceptionally good and should suit your usual tastes."

She simply nodded and when the waiter came to their table she requested her order so politely and with such a sincere tone, that it was obvious to Hatori that it took the waiter off guard.

In this kind of place, a waiter was used to being talked down to, and so he was obviously taken aback when he was treated in such a cordial manner.

He looked even more shocked when Tohru said, "Thank you," as he took both of their menus from them. He left their table in a sort of haze and Hatori couldn't hold in the uncharacteristic chuckle at the man's reaction to her sweet and genuine nature.

Tohru looked over at him in surprise when she heard him let out a low laugh.

"What's so funny, Hatori?"

She was proud of herself that she hadn't stumbled over his first name again but was then confused when he gave her a smile, even though the corners of his mouth hadn't moved, and said, "I think you've just made that waiter's day."

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she glanced back to see if she could catch a glimpse of the man who was serving them, but he had disappeared around the corner.

_Oh, well_, she thought to herself. _Maybe when he comes back I'll be able to ask him where he got such a nice haircut. I need to find one for Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure…they all need one soon._

Hatori watched her as she glanced back and he smiled in his head at her actions. The girl never thought of herself once, of that he was certain. She was probably wondering where the young man had had his hair so finely cut; he knew that the three boys she lived with were all in desperate need of one.

When she looked back, he raised an eyebrow at her and simply said, "Haircuts for the boys?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"How did you know?"

He gave her an actual smile this time, his lips curling upwards and making him seem more approachable.

"Well, as I've seen them all recently, I know that Shigure is looking dogged, Kyo like a mangy cat, and Yuki's hair is becoming more and more like a rat's nest by the day," he said, playfully using terms that she would recognize immediately, and he was pleased when she let out a small laugh. Not a giggle like a schoolgirl, but an actual laugh, and in that instant he could see the young woman that she truly was. Her eyes shone and she shook her head at him, tilting her face slightly.

"You know, Hatori," she said, giving him an almost playful look, reminding him of how she acted around Kyo. "Are you sure that you haven't been doing Shigure-san's writing for him?"

He shook his head.

"No. I don't have the energy for it that he does, the wild puppy that he is."

She shook her head this time, disagreeing with him.

"I don't know, Hatori…you're certainly smart enough for it. After all," she added shyly, ducking her head and breaking their eye contact. "You _are_ a doctor…"

Her finger came up to the table and began to absently trace circles along the edge of the patterned table covering, and then was following the golden leaf design along the trim, and he couldn't help but be fascinated for a moment at how delicate her fingers were. He followed their delicate line up to her wrist, which was just as finely boned, and when he realized where his eyes were leading him he silently chastised himself…

…but then wondered why he was.

She was very mature for her age, and he had always been young at heart. He had been forced to grow up quickly because of his curse, so he had an inner part of him that longed to simply take off and be as carefree as his cousins were, but he had never been able to because of his responsibility to Akito and to the Sohma family.

He suddenly longed to reach across the table, grasp her hand, and spirit the two of them out of the restaurant and down the street, letting their feet take them to who knows where.

But, of course, that wasn't what was expected of Hatori Sohma, so he kept the impulse inside, pressed down, and instead watched her take the waiter off guard once more as she accepted her water from him with another "Thank you," and then registered what was happening next too slowly…

…the waiter's hand had started to shake when she'd thanked him the second time and when he'd gone to give Hatori his own water, the glass slipped from his hand…

…and now Hatori found himself drenched in icy cold water, with ice cubes sliding down the front of his shirt.

_No,_ he thought to himself. _Not in front of Tohru…_

He knew that if he didn't get his reaction immediately under his control, he might ruin his reputation, so he quickly stood up, pushing himself away from the table in one fluid motion, about to excuse himself to go to the bathroom but at the same time accidentally brushed into a female patron walking by their' table.

He didn't think anything of it, but then felt a familiar tingle along his spine…

No. This couldn't be happening. He was cured…wasn't he?

Immediately, Tohru saw what was about to happen and stood up and grabbed his wrist and pulled him around the table back towards the employee area, pulling down on his arm to hide him behind the counter.

In a flash, he was no longer in human form, but laying a sea of cloth.

Tohru quickly retrieved him and pulled out a glass of water and gently placed him in it, and then ducked out from behind the counter and stammered out, "S-Sorry! He ran to the b-bathroom," and she motioned to the door that was luckily just on the other side of the employee counter.

She kicked his clothes behind her, hiding them, and then gave a sheepish smile, hiding the glass behind her back.

The waiter immediately began to apologize profusely, but she cut him off.

"It's not a big deal! J-Just a little water, that's all! He j-just needs to dry off his shirt," she finished, waving a hand at him and slowly inching back towards the bathroom. "So, I-I'll just help him out, al-alright?"

The waiter, baffled, nodded, and then turned around, scratching his head, and Tohru used that moment to push open the bathroom door and pushed Hatori's clothes inside, closing the door behind her, locking it. She let out a whoosh of air and slid down to the floor, the cup in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Hatori," she mumbled, looking forlorn. "It was really nice anyway…"

And then she felt a slight shudder in the glass and she realized that he must be turning back…

Quickly, she pulled him out of the glass and placed him on the floor and then just as she heard the rushing sound that accompanied all of the Sohma's transformations, she remembered something vitally important.

But then it was too late.

And suddenly she found herself standing in a small bathroom alone with a very, _very_ unclothed Hatori…

* * *

**Part 3/?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The first thing that Tohru noticed was the fact that he was tall. Of course she'd noticed it before, but when suddenly presented with miles and miles of bare skin, no longer hidden by his normal clothes, she was very, _very_ aware of the fact.

Luckily, her eyes had not left his chest.

She heard him clear his throat and that seemed to snap her out of her daze, and she quickly snapped her eyes shut and whirled around, facing the door.

"S-S-Sorry, Hatori-san!" she said, hastily adding the formal to the end of his name. "I-I-I didn't see a-anyth-thing, I swear!"

He cleared his throat a second time and then she heard a rustling of clothes and she guessed that he was putting his clothes back on. Of course, now, because of the careless way that she had handled them, they would be badly wrinkled and she felt a swelling of guilt.

As he got dressed, she clenched her fists in front of her chest, still screwing her eyes tightly shut, silently thinking, _Oh no…what is he going to do now? He's never going to want to be seen with me again! Oh, this is so embarrassing! I hope none of the other Sohmas find out…_

…_He has a nice chest._

At that last thought, she felt even more embarrassed, and quickly tried to put it from her mind, instead focusing on the sounds behind her. The sounds had ceased, and she wondered if that meant that he was done changing, and she thought about turning around, but she didn't want to risk it.

But then she felt a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her, so she did, but kept her eyes closed.

Hatori then spoke.

"Tohru, I'm fine. Thank you for acting so quickly…and you can open your eyes, now."

Carefully, she peeked open one eye and saw a blur of white cloth, and she knew that he was telling the truth. Letting out a sigh of relief, she opened her eyes and slowly unclenched her fists.

"Oh, uhm…okay. Uh…you're welcome?" she hesitantly added, looking up, and he gave her that smile where his mouth didn't move.

"Yes, that is what you say when someone says thank you, Tohru."

She blushed, and then motioned to the glass sitting on the floor next to their feet and said, "Sorry about that. It was the only thing that I could find, and I didn't think that it would be a good idea to put you in the sink. You could have fallen down the drain."

At her last words, she felt silly, and she ducked her head as she felt her cheeks flush an even brighter red.

But then he reached down and gently tilted her head up to look at him, using the side of his first finger. They locked eyes. She didn't know that he had gray eyes. Goodness, was it just her or had the bathroom suddenly become even smaller?

"Thank you again, Tohru. Now, would you like to go back to the table now? I know the drinks arrived, but I don't think our food has."

She simply nodded, unable to say a word, her tongue suddenly numb and glued to the roof of her mouth.

He gently moved her away from the door and then stepped out of the bathroom, holding the door for her, and she shyly stepped out after him, keeping her eyes trained on the floor just in front of her feet, not wanting to look back up as she knew her face was still red.

She felt his hand at her lower back and she lifted her eyes just enough so that she could see her way safely back to their table.

As they sat down, an elderly man wearing a very nice suit approached them and asked, "Sohma Hatori, is everything alright? We are so sorry for the inconvenience, and we will do anything we can to make up for it, sir."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply, but Hatori waved his hand.

"No, no. It was merely an accident and nothing more. Thank you, though, Hashimi Kaoru."

The man bowed again.

"Please, tonight's dinner will be taken care of. No payment for any food will be necessary, even if you wish something more."

And with that, he quickly left and strode away, his stride short but quick, leaving Hatori behind him with almost a smirk on his face. Tohru felt a faint smile slip onto her lips at the sight, and Hatori noticed it and his smirk turned into an actual smile.

"_There_ it is," he said enigmatically.

"There what is?" she asked, her smile wavering slightly.

"Your smile. I wondered where it had gotten off to."

As soon as he'd said the words, Hatori wondered where they had come from. He almost sounded…flirtatious. More like Shigure then like himself, and he felt his cheeks color slightly, and he looked over at Tohru, wondering if she had noticed, but her eyes were turned back towards the table…and her mouth was wide.

Good. She was still smiling.

She had a nice smile and it made him happy to know that he was the one who had caused it.

After a moment, she lifted a hand and drew a strand of hair behind her ear; a mannerism, he noticed, that usually preceded a carefully thought out question.

"Uhm, Hatori…?"

Yes. There it was. He waited a moment before saying, "Hmm?" and then smiled to himself when she brought her eyes back up to his.

"I was wondering…why…well," she paused and looked around, and then leaned in and asked in a whispered voice, "Why did you change? I mean, after what happened earlier I thought…well…that…"

Hatori finished her sentence for her.

"That I was no longer cursed?"

She glanced around quickly, her head swiveling, as though afraid that someone might have overheard what he had just said, and he had to keep himself from chuckling at the sight. For a moment, she had looked like a squirrel, and it had been quite amusing.

"I-I didn't say _that!"_ she said, shaking her head. "I-I said…"

He gave her a reassuring look and said, "It's alright, Tohru. No one here would dare listen in on a conversation that included me. It would be in direct violation of the full privacy clause that we have in our contract. We can talk freely here."

At that news she looked relieved and visibly relaxed.

"Oh. Okay, then."

He gave her a smile, and then his brow furrowed slightly as he thought about her question.

"Honestly, I don't know. It _is_ rather strange that only _you_ would not affect me, but that any other female would. Hmmm…"

He went quiet and then leaned back in his chair, absently placing his forefinger against his chin, thinking about the possible explanations as to why this was happening. Tohru did not affect him, but other females _did_. That had to mean that there was something _different_ about her that made her the exception to the rule. But why now?

As he continued to think, he was interrupted when their waiter arrived with their food with Hashimi Kaoru hovering over the young man's every move.

"No, no! Hitachiin, you put the spoons over to the right, not the left!"

The waiter simply nodded to the manager and moved them, while both Tohru and Hatori looked on; Hatori in amusement and Tohru in shock, as she couldn't believe that the man was being so hard on the boy.

Finally, though with slightly shaking hands, their food was put in front of them.

"Thank you very much," Tohru said to the waiter, and the young man simply nodded, gave a brief bow to each of them, and then left the table, the empty tray under his arm, with the manager following behind him, berating him under his breath the whole way.

Hatori, seeing that Tohru was nervous about trying the food, took a bite of his own first to placate her fears and it seemed to work.

Carefully, she picked up her fork and took a tentative bite of the dish in front of her.

And then she froze, with the fork still in her mouth.

He paused in his eating, observing her reaction to the taste, and then watched as she slowly removed the fork and carefully placed it on her plate. Her jaw didn't move for a moment, and then it did. In the beginning, her eyes had been wide, but now, with each chew, her eyes slowly closed.

And now Hatori was frozen.

Tohru now delved into her meal, and she was, there was no other word for it, _sensuously_ chewing each bite.

He was very certain that she had no idea of the fact that she was doing so, and that made it even more difficult for him to focus on his own meal.

Using all of his self-control, he pulled his attention back to his food and enjoyed it as best as he could, though the truth was that he barely noticed the taste of it. He turned the idea over and over in his head about the fact that she was the only one not affected by his curse.

Not the _Sohma_ curse in its entirety, but specifically just _him_. It was strange.

He went back to the idea that there was something about her that made the exception to the rule. What could it be?

All too quickly, they had both finished their meals and the waiter named Hitachiin came back over to them and offered them both dessert menus. Hatori saw that Tohru was about to object, so he quickly said, "Thank you. We would love to see what you have."

Tohru, surprised, simply nodded, and took the menu and slowly scanned through it.

_Wow_, she thought to herself. _Mom, I think that you would enjoy _this_ menu…_

It included several different chocolate confections, as well as a yogurt and fruit parfait that sounded absolutely delicious. It included blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and boysenberries, all put into a thick, vanilla yogurt and topped with a mixed berry glaze.

She wasn't sure if she should speak up, but finally she plucked up the nerve.

"Uh…uhm, Hatori?"

He looked up from his menu, his hair covering his left eye.

"Yes?"

"Uh…I was wondering if I could get the…the…" She hesitated and then pushed her way through. "The parfait. It, uhm, looks good. Maybe…maybe we could share?"

She was slightly terrified of what he might say, and was certain that she'd gone too far in suggesting that they share a dessert. Maybe she should have just not said anything; that probably would have been the safer thing to do. That probably would have-

"That sounds like a great idea, Tohru. I was looking at that myself."

And with that, he summoned their waiter back over and gave them their menus and their order.

The young man quickly hurried off, bowing deeply as he left, leaving Hatori amused by him yet again. He liked this young man; it was too bad that he seemed to be absolutely terrified of him, and completely baffled and put-off by Tohru's kind disposition.

While he was gone, they were quiet, but it was a comfortable silence, which was nice.

Tohru realized that it wasn't like that with any other member of the Sohma family. Whenever silence fell at the house where she lived with the three other Sohmas, it usually meant that someone was upset or angry, but with Hatori it was…nice.

Soon their dessert arrived, and Hatori smiled when he saw her light up at the sight of the large, Martini-style glass that held the parfait.

Two spoons were already in it and they each grabbed one, and before Tohru could object, Hatori motioned with his spoon and said, "You first."

Instead of blushing, she simply flashed him a smile and said, "Thanks, Hatori!", and then without any reservation that she'd had throughout the rest of the evening, she dug her spoon in and took a big bite. After she'd finished it, again closing her eyes as she savored the taste, she then repeated Hatori's gesture with her own spoon and said, "Now it's your turn."

And the way she looked at him…suddenly, he saw the young woman and not the girl.

The sight was startling.

* * *

**Part 4/?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Still confused by his reactions to Tohru, who he was now only seeing as beautiful young woman, he leaned forward and took a large spoonful and tried a bite of it. It was excellent.

He started to take a second spoonful, but was surprised when she deftly maneuvered his spoon out of the way with her own and said, "Hey! It's my turn next, not yours!"

Hatori looked up at her and couldn't help yet another smile cross his face as he watched her take another bite of the confection. He had smiled more times in one evening than he had in the past year just because of the fact that he was around Tohru.

He liked the feeling.

Soon, they developed an easy rhythm of trading off their bites, until he insisted that she finish it, and he watched her enjoy the rest of it as he paid the bill.

Leaving a generous tip for the young man who had served them, thinking he deserved it for all of the trouble that he'd had to deal with, he looked up at Tohru and watched as she took her last bite of the parfait, licking every last bit of yogurt from the spoon.

She then dropped the spoon into the glass and leaned back in her chair.

"That was really good, Hatori. Thank you, again, for bringing me here!"

He smiled, _again_, and said, "It was a pleasure, Tohru. I'm glad that you enjoyed it…now, should we go?"

She nodded, and then stood from her chair, absently running her hands over her shirt and skirt, adjusting them slightly and smoothing them out, and then turned to Hatori and flashed him a smile as she said, "Ready to go!"

He just nodded, and then offered his arm to her, which seemed to take her by surprise, but she took it anyway, wrapping her right hand around his left forearm, and he led them both out of the restaurant back to the car, where he then reluctantly parted with her to put her in the passenger's side.

He slipped into the driver's side in one fluid motion and then said, "I'll take you back to Shigure's."

She just nodded, her eyes drifting slightly, and that was when he realized that she must be exhausted after the day's events.

The drive didn't take too long, but by the time that they had arrived, Tohru was sound asleep, which meant that he would have to carry her to the house.

He thought about waking her up for a brief moment, but had quickly decided that it was a bad idea, and then was suddenly grateful for the fact that she was now immune to his curse, as he would now be able to actually carry her.

He got out and opened her door and then carefully, slowly, lifted the girl -_young woman_, he corrected in his mind-out of the car and began the walk up to the porch.

She shifted against his chest, and her right arm now crossed her body, her right hand firmly grasping his shirt.

Oh, well, nothing he could do about it.

As he approached the front porch, he realized that he would have no hands to answer the door with, so as soon as he was close enough he tapped the bottom edge of the door with his foot, hoping that someone would still be awake. It was already close to ten-thirty, and most everyone was either in bed or getting ready for bed.

He heard movement inside and let out a sigh of relief…but then he saw who it was.

Shigure.

Seeing that Tohru was sound asleep in Hatori's arms, the dog said nothing, but he raised an eyebrow and gave the older man a sly look.

Not having the patience to deal with the writer more than once that day, Hatori pre-empted anything Shigure might say by saying in a low voice, "Tohru's room. Where is it?"

The mutt sighed and motioned with a hand and said in long-suffering tone, "Follow me…"

Hatori did, and was only slightly surprised that she had a room on the second floor. He could not see what sort of view she had from it as night had fallen, but he could at least tell that it was probably close to ideal for her. He could smell flowers and fresh leaves, and he knew that her small outside area must be her favorite place in the house.

Quietly, he stepped all the way into the room and then carefully placed her on top of the covers on her bed. It wouldn't hurt her to sleep in her clothes for one night…but then he saw her shoes.

He was about to take them off for her, but instinctively he looked up, expecting to see Shigure looking at him with a lecherous grin, intimating all sorts of things…

…But there was no sign of him.

Thinking this as a sign of good faith, Hatori sat on the end of the bed and gently pulled her shoes off her feet, placing them down on the floor next to the night stand. It seemed like a place where she would put her shoes.

He then stood and leaned over her, gently moving her just enough so that he could pull the covers out from underneath her to slip her beneath them. As he pulled the covers over her, she suddenly rolled and her right hand was once more grasping the front of his shirt.

Certain she was still asleep, he put his hand over hers to remove it, but then she pulled at it and he suddenly found his face mere inches from hers, as she had managed to pull him to his knees on the floor.

"Don't go, Ha'ri," she said in a slurred, sleepy voice, her eyes barely open. "It's nice when you're here…"

And then, just as suddenly as everything else, her hand dropped and her eyes drifted close…and yet he didn't move. He stayed there, frozen, simply staring.

A strand of hair fell across her face and over her lips and was moving slightly with every exhale. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he reached out and gently moved it, tucking it back behind her ear, just as she had done mere hours earlier when talking to him at dinner.

His finger moved and was now lightly tracing her cheek…and he suddenly realized what he was doing.

Quickly, he pulled back and stood up, trying to fight the heat that he felt rise in his cheeks.

This was ridiculous! He was a grown man, after all, and he should know better than to…than to…than to what? What was he doing that was so wrong? He had already admitted to himself earlier that he was attracted to her and that he enjoyed her company, so what was he doing wrong?

_Well_, his conscience said, _You are staring at her while she sleeps. That's not exactly what a gentleman would do, now is it?_

Yes. His conscience was right.

Letting out a breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, he stepped out of the room and into the hallway…and saw Shigure standing just outside his own bedroom door, leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, 'Tori…how was dinner?"

The dog was practically leering at him, obviously wanting every single detail, but Hatori simply turned his back to him and walked back down the stairs, not responding to the question.

Of course, it was in vain, as Shigure simply followed him and confronted him a second time as he tried to leave, blocking his way to the front door.

"You didn't answer my question, 'Tori," he said, his eyes going dark. "How. Was. Dinner?"

Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to leave until he answered, he spat out, "It was fine.", and then tried to move him out of the way, but Shigure still kept him back and stayed in his path, his hand pushing against his chest, keeping him at bay.

"You're not going to get away with that, Sohma Hatori. You are going to tell me everything. Every. Single. Detail."

He crossed his arms back in front of his chest, giving his older friend an imperious look. Well, as much of one as he could give standing in his robe.

"Now, start from the beginning."

Hatori stared at him, not quite believing that he was being subjected to the third degree by _Shigure_ of all people…and then he realized that the third degree was not what he was getting. He saw a faint glimmer in the mutt's eye and quickly understood that the dog was trying to satisfy his writer's curiosity!

No…he would _not_ turn the moments that he and Tohru had shared into one of his disgusting romance novels.

In a flash of anger, Hatori reached out and wrenched the younger man to the side, not caring about the cry of surprise that turned into a cry of pain as he hit the side table next to the door right before he collided with the floor.

Shigure looked up at his friend in shock.

"T-Tori…?" he asked hesitantly, and he was taken aback by the fire in the older man's eyes.

The fire was in his voice as well as he spoke to Shigure in a low, menacing tone, and yet his voice was still even and clear, every word precise, made to cut the dog down to size.

"Tohru is _not_ one of your characters, 'Gure, and neither am I. So, if you care for your person then you will _not_ ask about dinner…nor will you pry into any interactions that we may have in future. If you do, I will be forced to take…drastic measures."

The look he gave him then was an obvious one. He would involve Akito.

"Now," he said as took a step towards him and then lifted him to a standing position with one hand, brushing his robe off. "Do we have an understanding?"

Shigure gave him a faint nod.

"Yes, Hatori."

He stared at him.

"Good."

And with that, he calmly walked out of the house, gently closing the door behind him as though their fiery confrontation hadn't even happened. Shigure continued to stare at the door long after his friend had left, still unnerved by the whole situation.

It was moments like that one that reminded him of just how dangerous his friend was.

All of the Sohma's reflected their zodiacs in one way or another, either in personality, appearance, or both, but Hatori…he was much harder to read.

Most of the time he was levelheaded and even tempered, even when he was upset, but when pushed to the edge, like Shigure had foolishly and unknowingly done earlier, his zodiac personality appeared in all of its flaming glory, burning down everything in its path, an unstoppable force of righteous anger. He only reacted this way when someone had wronged _him_ and he _knew_ it, therefore his reasons were always justified and his anger always righteous.

At this, the writer felt a wash of shame. He knew better than to push Ha'ri's buttons, but he'd done so anyway.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the empty room, and then turned and headed back upstairs.

As he passed Tohru's room, he nudged the door open slightly and glanced inside and then smiled. She was sleeping peacefully. But just as he was closing the door, he heard her mutter in her sleep, "Hatori…" and then he watched as she rolled over and hugged her pillow to her chest, still asleep, and then said his name a second time.

And Shigure smiled.

So, it seemed the feelings between the two of them were mutual.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to make it happen without his friend finding out.

A rather devilish smile crossed his lips at this thought, and he rubbed his hands together as he went back downstairs to his office. He turned the light on and sat down at his desk, and pulled out a pen and paper. Time to make some plans…

* * *

**Part 5/?**


End file.
